


Perhaps the Fear

by RarelyPureAndNeverSimple



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Baggage, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Metahumans, Mind/Mood Altering Substances, Or really meta powers, Slow Burn, more tags to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-21
Updated: 2016-08-31
Packaged: 2018-06-03 14:43:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6614668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RarelyPureAndNeverSimple/pseuds/RarelyPureAndNeverSimple
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Barry goes to Leonard Snart for help dealing with two metas terrorizing Central City, he knew it could go wrong- he just thought it would be because Cold betrayed them again, and definitely not because Snart decided to save him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts... perhaps the fear of a loss of power."  
― **John Steinbeck** , _The Short Reign of Pippin IV_

* * *

Nothing promised to throw Len's day into chaos quite like Barry Allen striding through the doors of Saints and Sinners with his eyes glinting in determination.

Len played idly with the rim of glass and watched him out of the corner of his eye. The stubborn pull of his lips as he wove through the degenerates that frequented Len's favorite bar made him look petulant in Len's opinion, but he also knew that meant Barry was there for business.

Well, good. Len's week had been boring.

When Barry slid into the booth across from him, Len did not bother looking up. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked.

"I need your help," Barry spoke confidently. He leaned forward with his eyes boring into Len's. As always, the intensity of his gaze drew Len's own, and he forced himself to break the eye contact before the moment dragged on too long.

It was harder to do so now. To Barry, their last encounter had been a couple months ago, but to Len, he had not seen the speedster of this time for almost a year.

"Still trying to get me to play the hero, I see," Len said before taking another bite of his food. He gestured with his fork at Barry, "Thought you would've learned your lesson by now."

"This isn't about you, Snart," Barry spoke in a rush, as if afraid Len would walk away before hearing him out. "It's about innocent people who are suffering."

Of course it was.

"And why should I help you?" Len drawled. "Going to put somethin' on the table to make it worth my while?"

Barry laughed humorlessly. "No, no more deals with the devil for me. One bargain with you was enough for a lifetime."

Well, at least the kid had learned something since the last time he had stormed into Saints and Sinners seeking Len's help.

"If you have nothing to offer and don't want to sully yourself with _devils_ , why come to me at all?"

"Because you owe me," Barry said.

"Do I now?" Len replied flippantly as he leaned back in his seat. He gave an amused smirk to the ceiling rather than return Barry's weighted stare.

It did nothing to deter the other man who, as always, gave as good as he got. "Unless you think breaking into my house and warning me that people I know hate me want me dead is worth your sister's life."

Len stopped playing with his glass. It was not that Barry was wrong- Lisa's life was worth more than he could ever repay- but it was the uncharacteristic way Barry was throwing what he did in Len's face. Barry Allen was not the type of person to save a life for a favor- that was the type of person _Len_ was. Barry saved and helped and annoyingly forced his way into people's problems to lend a hand because he was good in a way very few people were.

The fact that he was willing to call in a favor for such a thing was evidence of Barry's desperation. As much as Len prided himself on being able to read Barry, he could also admit that Barry saw things in him that no one but his sister and Mick ever could, and without the history he had with them.

He must know that Len would take a favor involving his sister's life seriously in a way he would not for anything else. Maybe Barry was simply trying to prevent another disaster like Ferris Air, but Len had a hunch it was more than that.

Len finally dropped all pretenses and gave Barry his full attention. His narrowed gaze swept over him and took in all the details that Barry's expression and posture had been telling him since he first walked into Saints and Sinners. The furrowed brow, the fidgeting left leg, the uncomfortable shifting every minute or so- something had spooked the Scarlet Speedster, which was enough to pique Len's interest, if not fuel his unease with the conversation.

Len hid his revelations from his expression effortlessly and quirked an eyebrow. "And what's so important that you'd run to me to cash in on such a _worthy_ debt, hmm?"

Len's tone was careless as he resumed eating, but Barry's posture immediately relaxed as if he knew that Len mentally had already agreed to help.

The patrons of the dive bar knew how to mind their own business, but Barry lowered his voice with a wary look around to see if anyone was listening. "You've seen the reports of the meta team on the news over the last month, right?"

No, he had not. Len had only been back in 2016 for a few days, and because the Waverider could not manage to get them closer to the actual date they left, Len had missed quite a lot.

His priority had been finding Lisa and adjusting to the unsettling loneliness that crept in whenever Len thought of the team he had lived with for almost a year. They were back enjoying their lives with their families and friends while Len realized that things with Mick would probably never be the same and he did not even know what country his sister was in. Lisa was not living in any of their safehouses and the last number he had for her was now out of service. She probably started lying low after Len and Mick dropped off the face of the earth.

But if Barry did not know that Len was so out of the loop, Len saw no reason to change that.

"Not really," he said, "Why don't you catch me up to speed?"

Barry opened his mouth, paused as if only just picking up on the pun, and shook his head before deciding to ignore Len's antics. A pity, really.

"About a month ago, two metahumans, a brother and sister by the names of Jack and Molly Wren, began terrorizing Central City. As far as we can tell, they were just simple thieves that did not care if they racked up a body count, but they've only been getting more and more dangerous. Caitlin thinks their powers are increasing for some reason or they're just becoming more willing to use them on anyone who crosses their path."

"And those powers are…?" Len gestured with his hand for Barry to elaborate.

Barry huffed. "Invulnerability and strength for Jack, which would not be much of a problem alone, but his sister's abilities are trickier."

Len waited patiently for Barry to finally address what had made him so willing to seek out Len's help once more.

"She- we don't even know, it makes little sense- but Caitlin and Cisco- we're pretty sure she can uhh _change_ people," Barry fumbled his explanation.

"Change people," Len deadpanned.

Barry ran his hand through his hair and bit his lip but did not go on.

Frustrated, Len rolled his eyes and wondered why he had missed the kid, "Into what? Other people? Dogs? Lamps?"

Barry threw him a look. "Nothing like that. They're still them, except also not? It's like she changes them into other versions of themselves, versions that reflect their fears or other people's."

"You're right," Len said after a beat, "That doesn't make sense."

"We don't know how it works, but there's a pattern that gives us a general idea," Barry said. His eyes were dark and worried. "A sober man who had grown up with an alcoholic father gets touched by her and suddenly begins drinking himself to death. A single mom who saved money her entire life for her children's education spends herself into debt in a matter of weeks. One of the officers I work with, Officer Hughes, was the biggest pacifist I had ever met, but he burst into the station three days ago and went on a shooting spree after a run in with her."

"So she's lowering people's inhibitions?" Len asked as he considered the implications of such powers. It was like Roy Bivolo's except far less limiting and more dangerous.

But Barry shook his head. "No, it's more focused than that. She's not just causing them to do whatever, she's specifically playing off their worst fears to turn them into what they're terrified of becoming; they aren't acting on impulses they've repressed so much as turning into something they're most afraid of becoming.

"Officer Hughes," Barry's voice tightened as he said the name, and Len wondered if they were close or if Barry was just so empathetic and horrified that he responded to the tragedy this way, "He always spoke of how scared he was that his job would force him to compromise his beliefs and take a life. He was so adamant that violence shouldn't be a solution before she got ahold of him. Now, he's killed seven people and is consumed with a bloodlust that gets worse every day."

"So it turns people into the types of person they would hate most," Len concluded. His stomach rolled with the thought. "And that's why you want me to help you? Too afraid to face your own demons?"

Len watched Barry's reaction carefully because he could not help but be curious as to what Barry was so afraid of becoming.

"I'm asking for help because I can't do this alone," Barry said seriously. "I can't divide my attention between the two of them and allow myself to be taken off guard. If she touches me-"

Barry looked away for a moment to compose himself before leveling Len with a look of pure steel, "I've seen what can happen when someone with my powers uses them to hurt people. If I didn't care, if I attacked my friends and family, ran rampant through Central- I won't allow that to happen."

Len finally had his answer. Barry was willing to throw Lisa's life in his face for the sake of preventing Central from being at the mercy of a speedster without a conscience. It was typical Barry, really.

"Look, Snart, I don't have anyone else that can back me up on this," Barry continued after Len had remained silent for too long in contemplation. "The people I usually would go to, well, they're dealing with some craziness of their own, or they can't be found anywhere."

That last bit was muttered under his breath, clearly not meant for Len, but Len could not help but wonder if he were referring to Kendra, Jax, and the Professor or any of the others. If Barry had looked for them even just a week ago, he would not find a trace of them. Had no one really told Barry and his friends at Star Labs that they were going out of town and out of time?

Len considered pushing Barry to go to their doorsteps for help instead but decided against it. Kendra had never wanted the hero's life and roping her into this when she finally got a break after lifetimes of persecution seemed unfair, even by Len's standards. Jax and the Professor deserved time with his mother and wife respectively, too.

Len had no one. He had nothing. Truth be told, he really could use another adventure before he went stir crazy.

He told himself that he did not miss saving the world and being a part of a team, but figured if he did, the sentimentality would fade with time. For now, he could indulge the silly impulses and get the Flash to owe him another favor while he was at it.

Len drummed his fingers on the tabletop. "I'll think about it," he said as he rose to leave.

Barry's hand shot out, too fast for anyone but the Flash, and stopped him before Len could leave the booth.

Barry was one of the least malicious people the world had to offer, but the unexpected touch to his wrist to restrain him had Len fighting back the instinctive flinch. Len was sure he barely tensed, but Barry saw and released him quickly.

"Don't think about it too long," Barry said without acknowledging Len's reaction. "The effects of the meta get worse by the day. The alcoholic's son began by drinking a beer every other day; four weeks passed and now he can't spend a minute sober. We don't know what else could happen if they remain under Molly Wren's influence. We need to capture the meta and figure out how to reverse the effects before it's too late."

"That sounds like a hero problem," Len could not resist retorting.

"Then it's a good thing you're more than just a criminal, Snart."

Neither moved as Len stared at Barry with what he hoped conveyed how deeply unimpressed he was. He must have failed because Barry's smile never wavered.

Barry looked over Len's shoulder and gave a nod to someone Len could not see. "Also, this time dinner's on you," he said cheekily as the waitress arrived with the check.

Barry grinned mischievously as he turned around and left. If Len were a different man, he would have laughed. As it was, he had a hard time wrestling down his smile into a smirk.

* * *

No one was thrilled with the idea of working with Snart again. Barry had expected that and, to himself at least, could admit that part of him also wondered if it was a good idea.

Snart was a better person than he would like to believe, had good in him, had love and loyalty in him for his sister at the very least, and a whole lot of potential to be more than he was, but that did not mean Barry could trust him.

Sure, Barry trusted Snart not to kill him when his guard was down or to go around killing innocents for his own amusement, but that was a pretty low bar. Snart was unpredictable sometimes, and Barry knew he had to be careful.

"This is a bad idea, Barry," Caitlin said, her voice a mixture between worried and admonishing. She had her arms crossed as she paced the cortex.

'Yeah, like the worst idea ever," Cisco added from his seat behind the monitors. "Which we know because we have already tried this and had it blow up in our faces only like a year ago."

"Yeah," Barry said dryly. "I remember."

"Then why are we debating this again?" Cisco asked around the red lollipop in his mouth.

"Because I need help, guys," Barry said exasperated. "Snart is tactical and the Cold Gun works from a distance, which is ideal when dealing with a meta who can ruin your life with a single touch."

Cisco snapped his fingers. "The Teal Tormentor." When Barry and Caitlin just looked at him, he added, "You know, because she wears teal as she torments people with her powers."

Caitlin wrinkled her nose. "Her outfit is really more green than teal."

"Yeah, well, Green Tormentor sounds stupid," Cisco argued petulantly. "I'll keep working on it."

"Maybe just the Tormentor?" Cailtin offered helpfully.

"Ugh, no. Caitlin, you are not allowed to name anyone after 'Rainbow Raider'," Cisco shuddered comically.

Caitlin pouted. "It wasn't that bad."

"Guys, focus," Barry said impatiently. "I know we all have our reservations about Snart, but you can't honestly tell me things are the same as they were last year. We know him better now, and he's changed whether he wants to admit it or not."

Barry thought briefly about how Snart acted in the bar. In the months since Christmas, Snart had already changed more than maybe the man himself realized. There was something less hostile, less guarded and dismissive, in the way Snart leveled with Barry a couple hours ago.

Barry wondered if something big had happened or if he was just capable of seeing through Snart's affected bullshit now.

"After everything with Lisa and their dad, you can't tell me you see him the same way," Barry said.

"Yeah, he's not like Zoom or Reverse Flash level evil, but he's still not Firestorm level trustworthy either," Cisco said.

"We don't know where Jax or Professor Stein are, so it doesn't matter," Caitlin said. "And we can't allow the situation to get any worse. They're beginning to target police officers and government officials. She could send the city into chaos if they're not stopped soon."

"But if Captain Cold betrays us again and teams up with them…" Cisco began.

"Snart wouldn't do that," Barry said at once. Of that, he was sure. It was not his style.

Cisco and Caitlin did not argue, and Barry was grateful. It was strange how compelled he felt to defend Snart.

Cailtin had a thoughtful look on her face. "There's something else to consider besides Snart betraying us."

Barry was mostly sure Snart would not stab them in the back this time, but Caitlin's expression made him feel oddly hesitant. "What is it?"

Caitlin pursed her lips. "Did you ask him what would happen if the meta touched him?"

"He wouldn't tell me if I did," Barry replied. "Besides, no one else is going to be affected. I won't let it happen."

"Bet he's afraid of wearing normal, weather-appropriate jackets," Cisco joked. "Or maybe wearing colors and not making ridiculous puns actually."

Barry laughed at the image and shared a smile with Cisco, feeling lighter now that he knew his friends were not judging him for approaching Snart.

Caitlin's lips quirked up as well, but she smoothed her expression quickly. "Just don't let her touch _you_ , Barry."

Barry's skin crawled as he thought of what could happen if he were under the meta's influence. He did not have to imagine a world where a crazed, evil speedster ran amok and ruled in terror. He saw Earth 2 and knew that losing himself to the meta's whims could not be allowed to happen.

* * *

Len still listened to Central's cops' radios, so the second the meta pair struck again, Len was dialing Barry.

"Hello?" Barry sounded out of breath, probably only taking the call from the unknown number of Len's burner on the off chance it was someone he loved needing help.

"Kid, are we doing this or what?" Len drawled as if he could not be bothered to care either way.

" _Snart?"_ Barry's voice was now hushed and incredulous. "How did you get my- wait, never mind, I don't care. Where are you?"

Len rattled off an address and was not disappointed when he was swept away to a parking lot filled with overturned cars and panicking civilians not a minute later. People were climbing over the metal fence that surrounded the area in their haste to get away from the chaos but so many were still trapped behind.

The first thing Len noticed upon arriving was a woman dressed in all green reaching down to touch the face a trembling teen while his father screamed in horror too far away to help.

Without hesitating, Len drew the Cold Gun from his holster and shot. She started when she finally noticed them, but it was too late for her to move. Before the blast could touch her though, a man, taller and more muscular than Len, threw himself in the way.

The man stumbled back only a step before literally shaking off the frost that had covered his skin a second ago. Right, invulnerability.

Luckily, the teenager had taken his opportunity to run into his father's arms and disappear into the masses fleeing the scene, so it was not a wasted effort. If the Cold Gun had little effect on Jack, Len should focus on Molly and let Barry take on him. Barry's abilities required close range attacks for the most part, which put him at risk when it came to the woman's powers.

"Flash, you brought a friend," Molly cooed. She appeared unremarkable with short brown hair tied back and unexceptional features, but her expression… Len knew the face of people drunk on their own power and relishing their dominance over others.

"This ends now," Barry declared, all righteousness as he stepped forward.

"Why stop when we're having so much fun?" the woman wondered aloud.

Out of the corner of his eye, Len saw the movement and was about to dive out of the way of the car hurtling at him, but Barry was always faster. One second Len was by a lamppost at the south end of the area and the next he was on the other side of the parking lot with Barry's arms wrapped protectively around him.

The tension that typically accompanied a sudden touch was fleeting as Len found himself strangely comforted by Barry's presence.

Barry removed himself quickly and did not wait around long enough for Len to tell him about his proposition that they should divide and conquer. The kid was really too reckless.

Jack was already grabbing a second car and throwing it Barry's way while the Flash barreled towards him heedless of the danger. Len jogged over to the fight in time to see Barry attempt to punch the invulnerable meta with little reaction. Molly darted towards them in an effort to reach Barry and no doubt subject him to her powers when Len shot another blast of cold her way.

She turned to him with a scowl but had been able to dodge this time. Len was too far away and there were too many cars preventing a clean shot.

"Flash," he called. "We need to separate them." As long as they were together, the meta siblings actually stood a chance at winning. Jack provided a distraction while Molly wormed her way closer and went in for the proverbial kill as he did. It was a good plan and precisely why Barry could not take them both on at once.

Barry glanced over at him and nodded. He took a step back to reevaluate, which was a welcome change from his typical rush headfirst into things approach.

Unfortunately, Molly changed tactics and began working her way towards a trapped group of people in a car that was looking a little worse for wear. The car's entire hood and roof were crushed, as if Jack had thrown other cars at it to prevent them from escaping.

The windows were crushed, and Molly reached inside with a sickening smirk on her face as the injured civilians cowered. Len could not hear what she was saying as he ran at them, but their screams of terror and cries for help filled the air.

Len was close enough now to be able to get Molly should he fire the Cold Gun, but he was guaranteed to hit at least one of the innocent passengers as well given the angle. He raised his gun in preparation to take the shot anyway but found himself hesitating.

In that moment, Barry suddenly was on the scene, grabbing the first passenger and speeding him away before anyone could blink. Molly's head whipped around in surprise when Barry came back for the second civilian in a whoosh.

Len holstered the Cold Gun and sprinted towards them hoping to get close enough to help.

When he returned for the third, Molly had recovered from her shock and was ready for him.

But Barry would never think of himself before saving someone else, so when Molly reached out to Barry's exposed face while he grabbed the final passenger, Barry did not spare her a glance. Foolish, reckless kid.

Len did not know why he did it. He clearly was not thinking at all. All that was running through his mind was what would happen should Molly get her claws into Barry; it would destroy Central, it would destroy _Barry_.

Maybe that was why Len found himself hurtling into Molly and knocking her to the ground before she could touch Barry. Molly and Len rolled onto the pavement painfully while Barry whisked the last civilian away. Len let out a grunt upon impact as his knee and elbow were jarred in the crash.

But Len was already pushing himself to his feet when he felt it. Two hands, uncomfortably warm on his skin, cupped his face with a softness that belied the ill intent. Len met Barry's panicked eyes as he stopped two feet away in horror before his vision tunneled and disappeared. Len's heart constricted as if someone had slipped a hand under his ribcage to squeeze it.

Then Len could not focus on anything except the voice whispering against his face- close, too close- sounding almost childlike.

"Oh, I can see your fear, so many fears." the voice cackled gleefully, a sound that echoed in Len's foggy brain, as enchanting as it was alarming. "It's going to destroy you both."

Then there was no terror at all, it drained out of Len with a dizzying rush. Len was not even disturbed or curious; everything was calm, and he was nowhere and everywhere at once. The words washed over him like an ocean lulling him to sleep.

He did not feel the unforgiving pavement as he toppled over.

 


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU EVERYONE! Thanks to everyone who gave kudos, bookmarked, and commented. YOU ARE AWESOME! 
> 
> Now, I hope you enjoy!

“We promise according to our hopes and perform according to our fears.”   
―  **François de La Rochefoucauld**

 

* * *

 

 

When Molly grabbed Cold’s face, there was a breathless moment of horror that seemed to stretch for eternity.

Time stopped. Molly’s eerie grin, Snart’s unfocused, wide eyes, and the utter destruction all around Barry in the parking lot stood still for a heartbeat before it all came crashing down again.

He heard Molly speaking ominously as he unfroze. “…So many fears. It’s going to destroy you both.”

Barry did not give himself a second to consider her words. In the blink of an eye, he grabbed her by her jacket, careful not to touch her skin, and wrenched her away from Snart. She flew back a dozen feet away, tumbling across the pavement from the force.

Snart had fallen over gracelessly, seemingly unconscious, when Barry was finally able to kneel by his side.

He activated his earpiece. “Cisco, Caitlin, Molly touched Snart.”

Immediately there was an uproar in his ears as both Cisco and Cailtin spoke over one another and advised him on how to respond. Barry did not pay attention or hesitate, that had merely been a warning.

Barry grabbed Snart’s prone body and flashed to Star Labs before the two had finished speaking.

With their arrival in the cortex, both Cisco and Caitlin jumped up. Snart’s head lolled into his neck and both scientists were shouting, but Barry ignored it all as he proceeded to lower Snart onto the bed in the medical bay.

“Molly just touched him, and he fell over. Look after him,” Barry ordered hurriedly. The last words almost blurred together as he disappeared out of the labs and back to the parking lot. He circled the perimeter twice but did not see Molly Wren anywhere.

Barry cursed as he stared at her abandoned green jacket that he must have yanked off earlier. He fought the childish urge to stomp on the dreadful thing. Instead, he forced himself to pick it up in case in held potential evidence.

It was surprising she left it, but maybe she merely figured it was time to make a quick exit after thoroughly fucking everything up for the Flash, Captain Cold, and numerous innocents. Barry’s grip on the jacket tightened until his knuckles hurt.

More shocking than that was that she had deserted her brother as well. Jack Wren lay where Barry had left him to save the car of civilians. Caitlin had given him a sedative that worked even with the meta’s invulnerability, which had worked perfectly. Jack was sprawled on the concrete, dead to the world.

Barry could hear sirens approaching and was tempted to let the police take Jack Wren into custody but did not trust that Jack could be held in Iron Heights. Maybe that was just an excuse because Barry wanted Jack Wren in the pipeline. He needed answers and did not have time to waste.

Barry thought of all of Molly Wren’s victims, of Officer Hughes and now Snart… Barry clenched his eyes shut. No, he could not afford to let the police handle this.

Hoisting Jack up and dragging him back to the lab was harder than Snart had been, but Barry managed. He dropped the man off in the Pipeline before flashing back to the medical bay. Along the way, Barry carelessly- spitefully- threw the jacket on a table to be examined later.

Caitlin was hooking Snart up to several machines and taking notes on a pad and paper while Cisco fidgeted nervously as he watched her work. Both of them looked up as soon as he appeared with their hair rustling in the wind he created.

“Jack Wren is in the Pipeline,” Barry told them.

“What about Molly?” Caitlin asked at once.

“Please tell me you got her, too,” Cisco begged without hope.

Barry scowled as he tore off the Flash suit cowl. “No, she got away.”

“She left her brother there?” Cisco said with raised eyebrows.

“Yes. She took her chance to escape while I was preoccupied with Snart,” Barry said. He stared down at the other man’s face for a moment, his chest constricted and fists clenched. “Guess she figured he was too heavy to carry and would get her caught.”

Caitlin frowned. “That doesn’t sound like what we read from the files on the two of them. They’re supposed to be extremely close.”

“Yeah, well, they’re also supposedly law abiding citizens,” Barry shrugged. “Clearly the files are got some things wrong.”

“I don’t know why I’m surprised,” Cisco said. “The woman runs around wrecking people’s lives for her own amusement and turning them into people they’d hate.”

“Regardless of their lacking morality, they had appeared close in your past encounters,” Caitlin argued.

“Maybe it’s a trap,” Barry said, “But it doesn’t matter. We’ll get Jack to tell us how to reverse the effects. We have to or…”

Barry trailed off as he was overcome with guilt and helplessness. Had he not just told Cisco and Caitlin that he would not allow anyone else to be affected? Now Snart was and simply because Barry went to him for help, involved him, and then let him get influenced by Molly merely because _Barry_ needed saving.

“Barry, are you okay?” Caitlin asked.

Barry ran his hands through his hair a couple times. “Yeah, yeah, just tired.”

Caitlin frowned sympathetically while Cisco ran out of the med bay and returned with a couple of his specialty bars for Barry to devour. He had not even realized how hungry he was.

“It’s not all bad,” Cisco said when he finished eating. “You didn’t get touched.”

That somehow made him feel worse.

“ _And_ you managed to capture Jack Wren,” Caitlin added. “Molly will be vulnerable now without him to protect her.”

Barry nodded reflexively, appreciating their efforts even if he did not share their optimistic outlook at the moment.

A glint of metal caught Barry’s eye, and he turned to see that Snart had been shackled to the bed.

“You handcuffed him?” Barry blurted out, momentarily distracted from the disaster that was their attempts to stop the Wren siblings. “He’s on our side!”

“For once,” Cisco muttered.

Caitlin arched an eyebrow with such incredulity at him that Barry felt strangely chagrined, but he did not back down.

“Seriously, guys, Snart just saved my life,” Barry protested. “The least we could do is not lock him up.”

“Oh, come on,” Cisco said. “I highly doubt this is the first time Cold’s woken up in handcuffs.”

Barry gave him a flat look.

“Barry, this isn’t about Snart’s… debatable trustworthiness,” Caitlin began.

“Yeah, because it’s not debatable,” Cisco cut in. “He’s not trustworthy, and we know it.”

“All arguments aside,” Caitlin spoke over Cisco, “It doesn’t matter because when Snart wakes up, he won’t be himself. We have no idea how he’ll react to Molly’s influence. What if it’s violently?”

Barry’s brow furrowed at the reminder of the mess they were in, that _he_ put Snart in. Whatever happened next, it was all on him. He should never have endangered another person, even one as capable as Cold.

But even as he thought it, Barry felt the shameful truth tugging at the back of his mind. Part of him could not help but be grateful that Molly had not touched him. Vivid images of Zoom wreaking havoc on Earth 2 and terrorizing the police station and the streets of Central pierced Barry’s brain. Those nightmares transformed into the Reverse Flash threatening to kill Barry’s loved ones and stabbing his mother, or even Trajectory, who stole and hurt for sheer enjoyment while people fled for their lives. Then, most hauntingly, the images were replaced with Barry himself running wild and unchecked through Central, killing and causing chaos without anyone who could stand in his way.

Barry was relieved, but he was also ashamed of that because now Snart was the one who was going to be transformed into someone he despised- and all because Barry was not fast enough.

Strangely, Barry thought of Eddie. Yet another person threw himself on the sword to save Barry.

Barry forcibly shook himself out of the depressing thoughts. This was not like Eddie because Snart was alive and going to stay that way. Barry was going to find a way to save him.

“How do we fix this?” Barry asked determinedly.

Any levity caused by the jokes at Snart’s expense evaporated immediately. No matter what they thought of Cold, neither Cisco nor Caitlin would ever wish the kind of suffering they had seen caused by Molly on anyone.

Cisco slumped into his chair. “Dude, we still don’t know.” And maybe it was because he had a soft spot for Lisa or maybe it was because Snart had just saved Barry or maybe just because he was such a good person, but Cisco genuinely looked upset at the admittance. “We’re still not even sure what exactly her abilities do and how they work.”

Barry found himself staring at Snart. His face was smooth and untroubled, and Barry realized how strange it was that he was looking at him while Cold was unconscious. He had never seen the other man so vulnerable. Snart always seemed untouchable, which was why Barry felt justified in endangering him earlier.

“We do have an advantage this time,” Caitlin said optimistically, perhaps noticing Barry’s dejectedness.

“What’s that?” Barry asked, trying to temper the hopefulness creeping into his tone.

“Unlike Officer Hughes or any of the other victims, we can study Molly’s powers’ effects from the very beginning,” she said. “Maybe our answers lie in the victims’ reactions.”

“Plus, we have time,” Cisco chimed in. “Symptoms begin mildly, and it takes weeks for it to get really uhh bad.”

Cisco faltered at the end, and Barry knew why. He could remember watching Officer Hughes scratching at his face as his desperate screams reached Barry’s ears even from outside of the police cell they were keeping Hughes in. Five weeks and it appeared the victims steadily lost their ability to function and, in some cases, their sanity as well. No one had died yet, but it was probably only a matter of time.

A low groan dragged Barry away from those thoughts.

 

* * *

Len returned to consciousness in a heartbeat with complete awareness as had been the case since he was a child. It was more alert than he wanted to be at the moment as he released a restrained grunt of pain. His head was killing him.

The fluorescent lights and Team Flash obnoxiously calling out to him were not helping matters.

Len blinked his eyes against the lights and shifted. Metal on metal rattled in a familiar sound by his ear, and Len froze. For a second, he was back on the jumpship waking up to a revenge-crazy Mick turned Chronos as he threatened Lisa. Len was trapped, vulnerable, with no way out but to-

“Snart!”

Barry’s voice cut through the memories. Len felt compelled to lift his gaze away from his hand and look into those concerned green eyes. Len momentarily forgot where he was and why he was there.

“Are you okay?” Caitlin Snow asked him and broke the spell.

“Peachy,” Len said. He lounged as best he could against the medical bay bed with his hand still handcuffed to the side.

Caitlin frowned in contemplation and cast a glance to the heart monitor they had hooked him up to. Really, a heart monitor? He had been knocked out, not placed on his deathbed.

“Your heart rate has normalized now, but when you first woke up, it was slightly elevated,” she said absently.

“Yeah, well, the last time I woke up handcuffed, I lost a limb,” Len said flippantly.

That earned him a pinched look from the good doctor, but Len just smirked. Let them think he was joking.

Len flexed his fingers. “This time, I’d rather use the key, so if you don’t mind…?”

Barry and Cisco both turned to face Caitlin, but she was already shaking her head.

“Not yet,” she said sharply. “We need to figure out how you were affected by the meta first and gauge the danger you pose.”

Len stamped down a shiver before it could manifest. He hated being tied up and trapped.

“And how are you going to do that?” Len demanded.

Caitlin blinked owlishly at him, but it was Cisco who blurted out, “Just tell us, Cold. We’re going to find out at some point anyway now.”

That was a terrifying thought but also true. However, there was unfortunately a major flaw in their plan.

“Can’t do that,” Len said bluntly.

Barry, who had been quiet for most of the conversation, stepped right into Len’s view with a pleading expression. His hair was ruffled as if he had carded his hands through it repeatedly while Len was out. The messy hair look worked for him; he looked boyish and cute.

“We need to know,” Barry said. “Come on, maybe knowing will help stop the progression early on. ”

“Maybe you’re right, kid, but here’s the thing: I can’t tell you because I don’t know,” Len told him honestly. He had not planned on being so forthright with them, but Barry looked disheveled and helpless. Len did not have the heart to mess with the kid at the moment.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Cisco said. He sounded suspicious, as if Len would lie about something like this. Huh, maybe Cisco had reason to be skeptical.

Truthfully, Len had been pushing down all his fears since he was a child. He had fought through them all until they usually did not consciously register with him anymore, even when he was faced with them. Now as he tried to think of what the meta could have done to him, all Len could think is it was likely buried somewhere inside him a long time ago and forgotten.

Len could not explain that to them, nor did he want to.

Instead, he simply said, “Not everyone is as touchy feely as you three.”

Cisco and Caitlin looked like they wanted to push him more on that, but Barry placed a hand on both of their shoulders to halt the protests on their lips. Barry regarded him with a strained smile.

“Okay, then we’ll just have to figure it out another way,” Barry said quickly. “How are you feeling? Any different?”

“No.”

Barry’s forced cheer faltered at his blunt reply, but Len had nothing else to tell them. He did not feel changed in any way. Still, Len wished he could have been able to give Barry a better answer.

Barry looked away from Len and regarded Caitlin hopefully.

“I can do a brain scan, a physical examination, and other tests to see if any irregularities are revealed, but it might not reveal anything. We don’t know how the meta’s powers affect her victims,” she said.

“Now can you release me?” Len said. He rattled his chained hand obnoxiously. If they were going to hold off on uncuffing him, he was just going to use the medical instrument he swiped when they were not looking to pick the lock.

Cisco glanced around the room. “Well, are you feeling particularly violent or homicidal? I mean more so than usual.”

Len did not pay him any mind; instead, he focused on Barry. Barry chewed on his lip distractedly- or at least it was distracting to Len who caught himself staring at those lips. Damn.

Len made himself focus. “While you pointlessly debate whether I’m hiding the urge to go on a killing spree, you can at least answer my questions. Did you at least manage to capture the metas?” He could only hope that this had not been a total failure.

Barry deflated slightly. “I didn’t get Molly Wren, but we have her brother in custody.”

Len contemplated that. Molly would have been ideal, but the male meta’s imprisonment was not worthless. Likely Barry and the others planned to interrogate him for answers, which would almost certainly go nowhere. But when they proved to be hesitant to take the necessary measures, Len could always step in himself. Of course, that raised another problem: how do you physically incentivize someone who was invulnerable? No matter, Len would devise a plan shortly.

“Barry, Cisco, can we speak privately for a moment?” Caitlin asked. She shot a wary glance Len’s way but then moved out of the med bay.

Cisco and Barry exchanged looks, but Cisco followed her easily enough.

Barry hesitated. “We’re going to figure this out, Snart. I promise.”

“Wouldn’t expect any less of you _heroes_ ,” Len replied.

Truthfully, Len was not betting on anything from them. After all, they had been desperate enough before to go to him, and really, what had changed? He had not allowed himself a moment to dwell on what had happened, but he needed to start making plans. Len mapped out in his head potential assets- Sara had many connections and experiences and may know a good way out of this- and potential liabilities- if any of his enemies found out...

Unfortunately, the more he considered it all, the more he realized that Barry and his friends were probably the best suited for this particular problem anyway. Still, he was not about to hold his breath.

Len waited for Barry to join his friends in the other room, but Barry did not leave. He just stared intensely at Len instead.

“Thank you for saving me,” he said, his voice painfully earnest, before he turned around and exited as well.

Len paused for a moment and followed his retreating figure. That was not the first time that Barry Allen had looked at him as if he were a good person with complete sincerity, but it was the first time that Len had felt like basking in that gaze.

Len frowned but shook it off quickly as he retrieved the instrument to pick the looks. Their backs were turned; they really just made it too easy.

  

* * *

As he left, Barry could not help but throw one look over his shoulder at Snart. The other man was perched on the hospital bed absently frowning to himself. Maybe Barry’s gratitude had reminded him of his predicament- or just that this mess was all Barry’s fault.

Barry sighed. So far, Snart seemed his usual self, if not slightly more subdued. Barry remembered thinking to himself that Snart had seemed different at Saints and Sinners though, so he could not attribute even that to Molly’s influence.

The only abnormal response was when Snart had initially woken up. As soon as he registered that he was restrained, Snart had tensed and his heart rate had picked up. While that was a perfectly reasonable reaction, it was odd coming from someone who, as Cisco pointed out, likely had experience waking up in handcuffs. Barry had seen Cold cool as a cucumber while chained and imprisoned, so this seemed new.

Cisco and Caitlin were whispering to one another with concern etched into both of their expressions as Barry approached.

“What is it, Caitlin?” Barry asked.

“I was just telling Cisco that I think we should all remember that we can’t trust Snart’s answers about his fears or how he’s feeling.”

“I know that Cold isn’t really trustworthy, but I don’t think he’d lie about this given the circumstances,” Barry argued.

“That’s just it, Barry. The circumstances mean we can’t rely on anything Snart says or does,” Caitlin said.

“She’s right, man,” Cisco said. “Just because Cold thinks he’s normal or that he has no clue how he’s been affected doesn’t mean that the _real_ Cold would say the same. We don’t know if he’s already been changed.”

Barry considered that. “He doesn’t seem all that different, no different than when I met with him earlier this week at least.”

“Yeah, but this is only day one,” Cisco said. “The changes are probably too subtle at the moment. Next couple days- or the end of the week at the very latest- the transformation will be apparent.”

“Which is why we need to keep him under observation,” Caitlin said.

Barry grimaced. That was not a pleasant thought. The three of them would have to take turns watching Snart to observe the effects of the meta’s influence and prevent him from leaving. He was sure Snart would _love_ that. Cisco and Caitlin would hardly be pleased either, but at least they did not have a job to get to. How was Barry supposed to keep an eye on one of Central City’s most notorious criminals and go to the station for his day job _and_ do patrols as the Flash?

“Great, just great. How are we going to convince Cold?” Barry asked.

“Umm his life is at risk, I’m not concerned about that,” Cisco said. “How are we going to handle watching Cold 24/7 while he steadily goes insane? Right now, he’s reasonable, but he won’t be in a couple weeks.”

Barry rubbed his hand over his face feeling guilt pool in his stomach. He gave himself a second before he faced the other two seriously. “Okay, let’s just- HEY! Where are you going?”

In a second, Barry had flashed in front of Snart to block his escape. He looked over Snart’s shoulder and saw the handcuffs unlocked and lying uselessly on the bed.

“Get out of my way,” Snart said looking and sounding so deeply unimpressed. He made to sidestep Barry, but Barry cut him off. “I won’t ask again,” Snart growled.

“You can’t leave. We don’t even know how you were affected yet!”

“Not my problem,” Snart dismissed.

“No, that is _definitely_ your problem,” Barry said emphatically. “You’re the one who’s going to fall apart under Molly’s influence if we can’t find a way to stop it.”

Snart hardened. His eyes turned cold and his posture tense as if he were preparing himself for the kill. “Then it’s not _your_ problem.”

Barry ran his hands through his hair. “That’s where you’re wrong, Snart. I got you into this mess, and I’m going to get you out of it. Molly Wren was my problem long before she was yours.”

Snart did not say anything; he may as well have been a marble statue for all the emotion he was showing. But Barry could tell he was getting through to him- with Snart, the true tells were in what he hid rather than what was expressed. Every action from the other man was calculated, a performance crafted by design. Cold loved to give a good show and conceal his actual thoughts and feelings at the same time. When Snart shut down, however, it was because the real man was starting to peek through the carefully constructed facade.

“Please, Snart, let me help you,” Barry tried when Snart did not respond immediately. He had given a similar plea in the past when Lewis Snart had been controlling his son to no avail, but Barry had faith this time would be different. They had both grown a lot since then.

“Fine,” Snart conceded airily with an eye roll, as if he merely could not be bothered to fight Barry on this, but Barry knew a victory when he saw one.

As Caitlin led Snart away to conduct the tests, Barry let out the relieved sigh he had been holding in. One problem solved at least.

“Well, that was easier than I thought it would be,” Barry confided as Cisco came up beside him.

His friend slapped his arm affectionately. “Like I said, this is only day one.”

Snart met his eyes just before he and Caitlin disappeared out of sight, and Barry repressed a shiver at the intensity of those blue eyes.

“Oh, believe me. I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, life got hectic and this took longer than anticipated. Thanks again to everyone who commented, gave kudos or bookmarked <3
> 
> I wonder if people can figure out what's up with poor Len. I've laid down some hints- and a red herring or two to be honest. I won't draw out how he was affected too long, it's going to be revealed soon, but for now, I'm interested to hear any theories! There were several directions I considered and several possible paths I could have taken- and maybe some people won't like the one I chose- but I think it makes sense given Len's background and really cements that this affects both Len and Barry (though maybe not in the way you'd guess). 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter! And I'd love to know what you thought.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the delayed update (I explain below) but THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO COMMENTED AND GAVE KUDOS AND BOOKMARKED!
> 
> If you haven't forgotten all about this fic, hope you enjoy!

“Men go to far greater lengths to avoid what they fear than to obtain what they desire.”   
―  **Dan Brown**

 

* * *

 

Jack Wren woke up not long after Caitlin led Cold away. Barry watched him stir on the monitor; the man roused slowly and sluggishly, likely disoriented from their fight, before jumping up in alarm upon taking in his surroundings. He felt along the glass walls of the Pipeline before retreating a step. Jack drew his fist back and sent a powerful punch that should have obliterated anything in its path. The metahuman’s invulnerability was the only reason his hand did not shatter upon impact.

Barry observed him, feeling his heart feat furiously in his chest; his lips thinned and reached back to draw his cowl over his face once more.

“Barry?” Cisco called when he noticed his friend making a beeline for the door. “Where are you going?”

“Getting some answers,” Barry replied.

“No, no, no, bad idea, dude. We should make a plan first.”

“No time,” Barry said without a backward glance. He flashed down to the Pipeline, studiously ignoring the rest of Cisco’s pleas for him to wait. Barry was in front of the prisoner before Cisco could even finish his sentence.

Jack started when he noticed the Flash’s sudden appearance, as though he had not yet connected the dots on how he had ended up where he was.

“Jack Wren,” Barry spoke. “I have a lot of questions for you.”

“You have a lot of nerve is what you have,” Jack spat at Barry. He glared venomously through the glass. “You think I have any words for you?”

Barry blinked. Of all the reactions he had expected, that was not one of them. Jack sneered at him with such contempt, like Barry’s presence personally offended him, disgusted him even. Barry fought with dozens of metahumans but none of them had ever seemed to loathe him the way Jack did. It reminded him of the way Hartley reacted to Eobard Thawne, like he was facing someone armed with a vendetta against him.

Barry recovered his composure after a moment. “Your sister left you, she abandoned you to continue her quest for chaos,” he told him.

Jack bristled from behind the glass. “You think you can make me tell you anything by turning this on Molls?”

“I’m saying that she’s made her choices, and now you’re one of the many people whose wellbeing has been sacrificed because of them. Help me stop her,” Barry pleaded.

Jack was practically shaking before him, jaw clenched and muscles strained, but did not reply to Barry’s words.

“Ba-Flash!” Cisco called as he ran down the hall to reach Barry. He panted lightly as he came to a stop beside him.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Barry said. Now Jack had seen Cisco and knew that he worked with the Flash. Well, many people had connected Star Labs with his vigilante activities, so he supposed it was not much of a secret. Barry still ached to protect Cisco from this mess, the last thing he wanted was someone else to suffer because of the Wren siblings and Barry’s own inability to protect anyone.

“Neither should you,” Cisco said, “But here we are anyway.”

Barry returned his focus to the steaming Jack. “You need to start talking; I’m putting an end to your sister’s reign of terror. No one else is going to suffer because of her.”

Jack bared his teeth. “Because of her? This is all your fault! You did this!”

Cisco shot Barry a bewildered look before widening his eyes at Jack. “Umm we’re not the ones Jekyll and Hyde-ing people.” Cisco straightened abruptly and grinned. “Oh, wait, that’s perfect. I’m so using that.”

A scowl twisted Jack’s increasingly red face as he banged his fists against the glass wall. “Aren’t you the ones? _Aren’t you?!_ ”

“Okay, no need to Hulk out on us,” Cisco said warily as he backed up a step. He threw Barry another look, silently asking if Barry understood Jack Wren’s crazy.

Barry did not have time for this- _Snart_ did not have time for this.

“Where is your sister?” Barry demanded. He crossed his arms and hoped it looked intimidating and badass but was pretty sure came off as defensive.

Jack said nothing, merely stewed in his rage.

“How do we reverse the effects of her powers?” Barry tried instead when he lost patience.

That got a reaction; Jack froze with a type of stillness that made him appear almost inhuman. Barry was not even sure he was still breathing, but then he erupted in movement. He was… laughing. Jack wrenched himself away from the glass as he dissolved into full-blown, hysterical cackling.

The sound sent shivers down Barry’s spine. The misery infused in each note of laughter was more than a little disturbing, as was the way the image highlighted the similarities between the Wren siblings. Barry could hear Molly’s voice in his head, the way she eerily delighted in grasping Snart and sealing his doom.

“Dude,” Cisco whispered from beside him. “And here I thought we caught the sane sibling.”

“Oh, no. This is just perfect,” Jack finally gasped out. “ _Now_ you care about what you’ve done.”

“What the hell are you talking about? We’ve been trying to stop you for weeks!” Cisco protested, looking more than unnerved now.

“It’s because she got to your friend, isn’t that right, Flash?” Jack rasped as if he were struggling to regain his breath. His eyes were wild as he ranted at them. “Molls got her hands on him, and now he’s going to be ruined. He’s going to fall apart right in front of you; you’re going to know how it feels now! Serves you right!

“The helplessness, the pain, the _guilt_ when you can’t stop it! You deserve it all, all of you do!” Jack screeched. “I can’t wait-“

Abruptly Jack disappeared from sight when the Pipeline was activated. Barry and Cisco whirled around to see Leonard Snart leaning against the wall with a hand casually pulling away from the control panel. Caitlin stood a few steps behind with her brows furrowed.

“What are you doing?” Cisco asked.

Barry glanced at Caitlin, but if she had found anything from her examination, he could not tell from looking at her. Instead, he focused his attention on Snart. He seemed fine. He must have heard Jack’s raging about how Snart’s impending self-destruction, and yet it was like none of it fazed him.

Barry did not buy the act for a second; he had gotten a peek below Snart’s carefully constructed façade enough to know that Snart was not nearly as unaffected as he would like the world to believe.

“Oh, I’m sorry, did I interrupt? It looked like it was going so well,” Snart drawled.

“Love the gratitude, man. Glad we’re trying to help you,” Cisco muttered.

Snart did not even look Cisco’s way when he spoke. “What a bang up job you’re doing, too,” Snart mused as he shot a pointed look at the space where Jack just was.

“Hey,” Barry said as he stepped between the two of them. “Stop antagonizing him, Snart.”

Snart straightened up and released a put-upon sigh. “Fine.”

Barry narrowed his eyes as he waited for the catch, the sarcastic comment, but nothing came. Snart seemed to genuinely be willing to play nice for the time being, likely because he realized the need for focus despite his posturing.

“Thank you,” Barry said sincerely and watched as Snart shifted uneasily under the weight of his stare before he turned his attention to Caitlin. “Did you find anything in your examination?”

Caitlin shook her head. “Except for slight elevation of frontal lobe activity, which is to be expected given the nature of Molly’s abilities, he appears completely normal.”

Barry nodded and faced Snart once more but was surprised to find the other man already looking at him. “How are you feeling?”

Snart’s lips tightened into a mockery of a smile. “Just as peachy as when you three interrogated me a half hour ago, Scarlet.”

Barry sighed. “Just let us know if that changes.”

“If this is your plan, to obnoxiously ask me about my _feelings_ every hour or so, then I may outsource my help.”

“Who do you know that handles as much weirdness as we do on a regular basis?” Barry said reasonably, frustrated to already be fighting Cold again on this.

For some reason, that amused Snart so much that his eyes lit up as he smirked. “Oh, wouldn’t you like to know?”

Barry narrowed his eyes in disbelief, but Cisco spoke before he could. “This problem is a bit beyond Golden Glider and Heatwave.”

“I’m hurt,” Snart droned. “You don’t think I have more friends than just Mick and my sister.”

“Why don’t you go annoy them then?” Cisco suggested innocently.

“Wouldn’t want to bother them,” Snart said with a smirk Barry was sure was designed to get under Cisco’s skin, but Cisco just snorted in amusement.

“Barry,” Caitlin spoke up. “We need to discuss our observation schedule.”

“Oh, right,” Barry said. His mind raced as he tried to figure out how he was going to find time to watch Snart as Molly’s influence progressed. He would have to tell Joe and Iris about all this, there would be no way to hide it from them. He might even have to ask them help- on second thought, that was a disaster waiting to happen.

“Observation schedule,” Snart deadpanned.

“You’re going to have to be monitored closely until this situation is resolved,” Caitlin said seriously. Her face pinched up in preparation for Snart’s refusal, and Cold did not disappoint.

“All three stodges are going to follow me around and watch my every move? Don’t I feel lucky,” Snart said.

“And we’re just jumping for joy in excitement of Cold Watch 2k16,” Cisco retorted.

“As fun as that sounds, I’m going to pass,” Snart said.

“You agreed to stay,” Barry argued.

“No, I agreed to let you help me, but I’m not going to play lab rat for you,” Snart said. “People to do and things to steal, you know how it is.”

“You’re going to go have sex now?” Barry blurted out at the same time as Catilin spluttered out aghast, “You want to commit a robbery at this moment?”

Snart’s face twitched like he was fighting a smile; his eyes darted between the two of them. “Glad to know where your priorities lie.”

Barry got the feeling Snart had said that just to get a rise out of them and felt heat creep up his neck at his own response.

Caitlin stepped forward. “You are not in any condition to leave-“

“I feel fine,” Snart intoned with an eye roll.

“-You could be suffering any number of mental or physical ill-effects that my examination did not reveal and are not immediately apparent. If you go commit a _robbery_ -“

“Relax, doc. It was a figure of speech,” Snart shrugged.

“Among supervillains?” Cisco asked.

“Only the cool ones,” Snart quipped.

Cisco scrunched up his face, “I walked into that one, damn.”

“Now, if you’ll excuse me…” Snart spun around and made his way towards the exit.

“Wait a second,” Caitlin called to no avail; Snart’s pace never faltered.

Barry flashed in front of Snart for the second time that hour. “Stop,” he ordered before Snart could dodge him.

Snart froze briefly before he clenched his fists and looked over Barry’s shoulder. “Let me pass.”

“You can’t go. We don’t know what’s wrong with you yet,” Barry reasoned.

“And you have no way of figuring it out except watching my every move for the foreseeable future.” Snart shook his head. “Sorry, Barry, no dice. I’ll call you if I have a problem.”

Barry huffed. “We both know you won’t.” Barry ducked his head to try to meet Snart’s gaze, but the other man was studiously avoiding his eyes. Snart’s knuckles were white and his hands were shaking under the pressure he was putting them under.

“Snart?” Barry called and took a step forward. Snart snapped out of his trance at the movement and recoiled away from Barry.

Barry’s stomach dropped. Something was wrong. In all the confrontations he had with Snart, he had never backed down or visibly flinched away.

“Cold?” Cisco asked hesitantly as he and Caitlin exchanged uncertain looks.

Snart ignored them all and breathed in deeply. When Snart refocused on Barry, it was as if nothing had transpired. Snart gave a humorless smirk that died quickly in the face of Barry’s concern.

Barry took another step forward, and this time, Snart did not retreat. “Are you feeling any different now?”

Snart’s face stoically turned to face him. “Still walking on sunshine, Barry, but thanks for asking. Again.”

Barry frowned but decided not to push. After all, Caitlin was right, it was not like they could really trust Snart’s answers anymore. But maybe his hesitation to pry had more to do with the guilt bubbling in his stomach.

_“Molls got her hands on him, and now he’s going to be ruined. He’s going to fall apart right in front of you.”_

“Come on, Cold,” Cisco said. He passed Snart and made his way towards the exit. “Let’s get you set up.”

Before he could protest once more, Barry squared his shoulders. “You’re staying until we figure this out. Now let’s go back to the Cortex.”

Barry spun around and followed Cisco out, surprised and grateful when he heard Snart’s footsteps echoing behind him.

 

* * *

  

“Cold Watch 2k16” as Cisco had dubbed it was somehow even more boring than Len had anticipated. His last few days had been spent under the careful eyes of two people he had kidnapped before who treated him as if he were a bomb set to explode at any minute.

At first, Len had amused himself with casing Star Labs, but he had quickly grown tired of it. Someone was always following him around as he did, and he had already mapped out every inch of the facility thrice.

By day two, Len had gotten desperate for something to occupy his time. He was patient, but patience only extended so far when there was no end in sight. Len needed a distraction from his thoughts.

They had yet to discover how Molly had affected him and subsequent interrogations of her brother had yielded no more success as the first one.

“Got any threes?”

He wondered what Barry was doing right now; he was probably debating the merits of cutting out of his job early because he had finished all his work at Flash speed already but did not want to raise suspicions. Len could vividly picture the kid alternating between texting at super speed and laying his head against his desk in boredom.

“Hey man, threes? You got any?”

Len drummed his left hand fingers against his thigh as his mind wandered. Hopefully Barry would decide that it was worth the risk and arrive at the labs soon.

“…Cold?”

Len looked up at Cisco and saw the engineer peering at him intently. “It’s your turn,” Len reminded him.

“Right,” Cisco said and looked flustered all of the sudden. “Got any threes?” he asked, sitting cross-legged on the floor across from Len. He lightly frowned as he glared at his cards with far more concentration than was required.

Len fanned out his cards and stared at his hand, which included the image of three black spades vertically aligned, “No.”

Cisco dramatically announced he was “going fish” and drew a new card. Len missed Sara. Hell, he was getting close to missing Raymond. He missed Barry most of all, a part of him ached for the younger man.

“Got any eights?” Len prompted innocently, as if he had not just gotten a peek of the number when Cisco drew. The other man narrowed his eyes suspiciously but relinquished his card anyway.

A gust of wind rustled their deck, and Len raised his eyes eagerly to see Barry standing in the center of the cortex as if he had been standing there this whole time.

Eyes focused on the kid, Len dropped his cards carelessly as he rose from the floor.

“Hey!” Cisco shouted when he saw his hand splayed out before him. “You did have a three! And a jack! Cheater!”

It was an effort for Len to tear his gaze away from Barry to throw Cisco a smug smirk, but the picture of Cisco’s horrorstruck gaping made it worth it.

“Hey guys,” Barry greeted cheerfully, an unassuming grin tugging his lips as he scanned the room. “What’s up?”

“I’ve discovered Cold’s somehow worse to play cards with than Dante,” Cisco claimed. “How do you manage to even ruin cards?” Cisco accused Len.

“Someone’s a sore loser,” Len taunted.

“You don’t play fair!” Cisco pointed a finger at Len.

“You’re surprised by that?” Caitlin Snow replied before Len could, arching a brow at her friend. She strutted out of the lab with her hands on her hips. Not allowing Cisco a chance to retort, she turned towards Barry, “How was work?”

“Fine, fine,” Barry said. He cast a glance at Len, and Len could not help but wonder if he might have said more about his job in law enforcement if a convicted felon and fugitive from justice had not been in the room. “Any news here?”

The atmosphere of the room turned somber; Len had preferred when the occupants had not stared at him with their usual mixture of pity, apprehension, and fear, but the reminder of why they were monitoring him always resulted in that.

“He’s the same old dick he always is,” Cisco reported with overdramatic seriousness. “So nothing new there. Are we sure Ms. Hyde didn’t just fake us out to keep us distracted?”

Caitlin clicked her tongue reproachfully. “Scans of Snart’s frontal lobe continues to display increased levels of activity, gradually climbing over the course of the last couple days,” Caitlin contradicted. “His executive functions have already begun the alteration process, even if the results are not apparent quite yet.”

“It’s been over a week,” Barry said. He bit his lip in concentration and drew Len’s gaze to his mouth. “The other victims began displaying uncharacteristic behavior immediately upon waking. It doesn’t make any sense; what are we missing?”

“I’m just special, Barry,” Len said cockily.

“This is serious, Snart,” Caitlin admonished. “We’re losing our advantage over your condition; your symptoms will exacerbate over time, and we have no idea how to combat them or anyone else’s. At this rate, we won’t have identified the changes until their effects are devastating to you.”

She had worked herself up with her rant. On some level, Len could see that it was a well-meaning product of her concern for him and others affected, but her condescension raised his hackles.

Len sneered, “Thanks for the prognosis, doc.”

They all treated him as if he were simply not understanding the gravity of his situation, but Len had seen and experienced far more than they knew and recognized that blind panic was as much an enemy to him now as crazy Molly Wren was.

Team Flash were slaves to their emotions, their loves and fears and tears dictated their actions; it was a luxury Len had never had, something that had been beaten out of him long before any of them were born.

But just because he was not losing his cool did not mean he was not fully aware of his “condition” as though.

Len hated the helplessness, the loss of control, the inability to trust his thoughts were his own and not implanted in his head by a sick psychopath out to destroy him. He loathed knowing he was under someone else’s thumb the way he had been throughout his childhood. Len had spent years building himself into someone with perfect control; Len conquered his emotions, trained his body, and played it so he was always one step ahead of those around him.

To have that meticulously crafted control ripped away from him was a blow that no one on Team Flash could possibly comprehend.

Barry intervened as he always did when tensions grew. He patted Caitlin’s shoulder in solidarity before facing Len. “Give us a moment, Snart; I’ll come to your room in a bit.”

Len retreated towards the room that has been his since this mess had begun, though it was generous of Barry to refer to it as Len’s. He felt Barry’s eyes on him the whole way, long after the cortex was out of sight, his legs working on autopilot as he followed the path to his room.

 

* * *

 

Barry watched as Snart disappeared down the corridor before returning his attention to Caitlin and Cisco. The two scientists’ faces had dropped any pretense of lightheartedness the second Snart was gone.

“The periods of distraction are increasing in frequency and duration,” Caitlin told him seriously.

“Cold still doesn’t realize they’re happening,” Cisco added. “The ADD can’t be what Ms. Hyde did to him, right? Like surely Cold’s greatest fear isn’t random bouts of spaciness.”

“No,” Caitlin agreed. “It has to be a symptom of the underlying cause. Perhaps all of Molly’s victims suffered similar effects as their minds unconsciously warred with their altered state of desires and thoughts. We have no way to ascertain if that is the case without another one of Molly’s other victims to compare to and assess for similar behavior.”

Barry nodded. “That makes sense. Thanks guys, for everything.”

Caitlin squeezed his arm in support. “Don’t worry, we’ll fix this.”

“I know we will,” Barry said with confidence he did not feel. “In the meantime, maybe try not to give him such a hard time?”

Cisco snorted and Caitlin raised her brows. Okay, maybe Barry should not have said anything.

“ _Us_ give _him_ a hard time?” Cisco said. “He’s the one who’s impossible to deal with.”

“He hasn’t been that bad,” Barry disagreed. It was true, too; Cold had really been on his best behavior since this started.

“Yeah, to you,” Cisco argued. “He actually listens to you. I have to fight him to do anything, and he’s more inclined to sarcastically reply than do anything I ask.”

Caitlin frowned thoughtfully. “He does listen to you, Barry.”

“Thank you, Caitlin,” Cisco said. “You know she has to practically drag him to his daily brain scans. You’d think he was doing us a favor by letting us monitor him.”

Barry laughed but did not say that he thought that was part of the way Snart coped with his discomfort of other people showing concern for his wellbeing, so unused to others being protective of him. “Like I said, thanks for everything, guys.”

Barry left them there and went to go check on Snart. Whatever the other man claimed, he was not okay and could use someone to talk to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Err does anyone even remember this fic? So my apartment became unlivable for a couple months and was super distracting and also admittedly, what happened at the end of the Legends of Tomorrow season really killed inspiration. I basically handwaving it so hope that works. I'll tie it in later on, but yeah that was a mood killer if I ever saw one *sighs*
> 
> To anyone still reading: hope you guys liked the chapter, do you know what's wrong with Len yet? I won't draw it out much longer, probably next chapter. 
> 
> Let me know if you liked it! Your comments are inspiring!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who commented, bookmarked and gave kudos!! You rock!

"A man that flies from his fear may find that he has only taken a short cut to meet it."  
― **J.R.R. Tolkien**

* * *

Snart was bouncing a ball against the wall of the room when Barry entered. The rhythmic thuds of rubber by the door were soothing, and Barry found himself following the ball's path with his eyes instead of entering the room. When Barry finally entered the room, Snart stopped his tossing and allowed the ball to roll carelessly away.

With Snart leveling him one of his usual piercing gazes, Barry fought the temptation to just leave and steadily approached Snart. Snart craned his neck up to stare at Barry before shuffling aside.

Barry took the implied invitation and settled down beside Cold. Barry could feel Snart's eyes on him even as he faced forward.

"So," Barry began with a slight smile, "How exactly do you cheat at Go Fish?"

Snart snorted. "Why should I give up my cards just 'cause he asked first?"

Barry barked out a laugh and slanted a look at Snart. "I'm pretty sure that's in the rules of the game."

"If Cisco wanted to play by the _rules_ ," Snart drawled, "Then he shouldn't of played with a criminal."

"Because cheating at cards is the same as robbing banks," Barry said dryly.

"Never been one for rules," Snart said. "Cards or banks, it's always someone else's game."

"That's one way of looking at it," Barry said, not caring to hide the skepticism dripping from his tone.

"Don't say it like that, Scarlet. You like to bend the rules, too."

"I work for the CCPD," Barry argued. "I have to follow the rules more than most anyone."

"And yet you also work as a vigilante," Snart said. He shot Barry a teasing look. "And spend your free time chatting with dangerous crooks."

"I don't spend my time chatting with really dangerous crooks," Barry disagreed.

It was not like he hung out with Eobard Thawne or Zoom in his spare time. Snart appeared offended, which was fair- he actually _was_ one of the more dangerous criminals Barry encountered. Just because Barry had grown accustomed to his presence recently and knew that Snart _could_ become a hero didn't exactly change the facts of what the other man had done. Barry shouldn't forget.

"Besides," Barry continued before the other man could protest, "It's not like I have much else to do."

That seemed to amuse Snart. "Heroics cut into your social life?"

"Like you wouldn't believe," Barry said without humor. "It's hard to date when you have to run out to save the city every couple minutes or when you have to constantly remind yourself to move a normal speed to preserve your secret identity."

Snart raised an eyebrow, and Barry groaned. He ran a hand through his hair and asked himself why did he just blurt that out to Captain Cold of all people?!

Except he knew why.

Cisco and Caitlin said that Snart had repeatedly lost focus over the course of the days of their observation, but Barry felt Snart's razor sharp attention on him the entire time he spoke. Snart stared at him as if he were the center of the universe. It was safe, like Barry could admit these things to Snart and find the other man hanging on every word. Like the other man cared.

"I had a girlfriend not too long ago," Barry confessed. "But I couldn't be the Flash and be with her. I lived in fear someone would use her to get to me and keeping the secret made it impossible to really be myself around her."

"Wouldn't have figured the hero life to be so lonely," Snart said. He frowned lightly as though he was lost in thought.

"Yeah," Barry agreed quietly.

Barry was taken off guard when Snart abruptly leaned forward to lock his lips with him. Startled, Barry felt the air shift and the room slow down; his heart rate ticked up as the speedforce in his veins gave him all the time in the world to respond. It was still not enough.

Snart's mouth moved sensually against Barry's and _wow_ he was good at that. Barry found himself returning the passion as the kiss quickly grew heated. Barry surged up, and Snart fell back to the floor. He allowed Barry to lean over him and guide the kiss without protest. Barry snaked a hand around Snart's neck to angle his head just right and let his other hand drift to Snart's hip-

At which point, Barry jerkily pulled away, unsure of why he had just done that. Well, he knew _why_ but also _not at all_.

Snart started to push upwards again to chase his lips, but Barry drew away further.

"Wait, what am I doing? We need to stop," Barry said. For a moment, he had gotten caught up and forgot who he was with and why.

Snart immediately pulled back at Barry's words, breathing slightly harder than usual. "Why? Are you not attracted to me?"

"I am-" Crap, he definitely shouldn't have admitted that, "-Er, that's not the problem here."

Snart shifted so he was sitting on the back of his heels and stared at Barry. His blue eyes pierced Barry as he waited for an explanation. Barry could not help but notice that his lips were redder than usual, too…

Yeah, attraction was _definitely_ not the problem- well, lack of attraction wasn't anyway. Being attracted to Captain Cold was a hell of a problem that Barry would like to go back to ignoring, thank you very much.

"You're my enemy usually, for one," Barry said because it needed to be said. Barry needed to remember that. He knew Snart had good in him, had saved him, could be more than just a criminal, but that did not change that for now he _was_ a criminal- one the Flash would likely be called upon to stop soon when they sorted the Molly Wren issue out.

Snart snorted, maybe he found that to be a flimsy excuse. It was hard to see them as enemies when they had just been making out on the STAR Labs floor a minute earlier.

"But more importantly," Barry continued seriously, "You're not yourself right now."

Snart quirked an eyebrow. "You think that Molly Wren's influence made me kiss you, Scarlet?"

Barry started to say no because that was not the point he had been making, but then he froze. Barry had only been thinking that Snart was literally not in his right mind at the moment, however he was affected, and should not be making decisions like this. But the more he thought of it, the more Barry felt his chest constrict painfully.

"Maybe," Barry said absently as his mind raced.

"I think we would know by now if I were changed into someone who spontaneously kissed people, kid," Snart said dryly. "You clearly want this, so there's no problem."

Barry's breathing was starting to pick up as he replayed the last couple minutes in his head. It was all off, and Barry had missed it the first time because he had not been paying attention, just grateful to have someone to talk to and, well, more than a little preoccupied with acting on something out of fantasies he never thought could come to life in reality.

But Snart was not the type of person to put himself out there the way he just had. He was right to say that they would know by now if his sex drive was what had changed or something obvious like that, but Snart kissing him at all was uncharacteristic. He let himself be vulnerable to Barry and didn't test the waters first or seem to make a plan.

"Why did you kiss me?" Barry asked, already dreading the answer as the words slipped out of his mouth.

"Didn't you want me to?" Snart asked in return.

But that was all wrong, too. Snart wasn't acting defensive when he replied, he was almost _confused_ , like the whole point was whether or not Barry had wanted him to.

"Get up," Barry ordered as he stood as well. The second Snart was on his feet, Barry whisked the two of them to the cortex where Caitlin and Cisco were speaking in hushed tones. When they flashed in, the two scientists looked up in concern.

"What is it?" Caitlin asked as she took in Barry's grave expression.

He did not want to talk about this with Snart around, looking puzzled even now, which was another thing that didn't make any sense _._ Whatever else the man was, Cold was tactical, brilliant, could see all the angles and all the pieces on the chessboard. The fact that he was just standing there stupidly while Barry was growing increasingly aware of just how _wrong_ he was said it all.

Suddenly, Barry couldn't bear to talk this through while Snart listened, couldn't bear to see the damning apathy and incomprehension.

"Actually, why don't you wait in the medical room while I speak with Caitlin and Cisco, Snart?" That way Barry could keep an eye on him, not that Snart was doing much that required observation; Cold left the group without argument, which was also wrong.

The second he was out of earshot, Barry turned to his friends. "Snart's acting really different."

"Okaaaay…?" Cisco cocked his head to the side. "We already knew he was affected, dude."

"No, I mean when I was speaking with him just now, he was doing more than spacing out," Barry said. "And I'm positive it's because of Molly, but I can't figure out the pattern."

"Well, we were actually just talking about that," Cisco said. "Caitlin has a theory about what's wrong with him."

Barry turned towards Caitlin but found her staring in the direction of the medical room with her lips pursued.

"Caitlin?" Barry prompted.

She shook her head. "Why don't you tell us exactly what happened first with every reaction catalogued and every word both of you said verbatim? If I'm right, your account will be testimony enough to prove my theory correct."

Barry nodded and, somewhat unwillingly, recounted all the details of his interaction with Snart, even making out with him. Cisco found that part to be more than a little disturbing- "You swapped spit with Captain Cold?!"- but multiple times the engineer glanced at Caitlin somberly during the story. Caitlin frowned to herself while Barry spoke.

When he was finished, the two of them were staring awkwardly at each other rather than facing him.

"Well?" Barry asked. "Did you figure out what's wrong?"

Cisco slumped into a chair. "Yeah, man, looks like it. It's not too bad, could have been waaay worse," Cisco said as if he were preparing Barry.

More than a little alarmed, Barry threw Caitlin a look silently asking for an explanation.

Caitlin straightened up. "Barry, I started thinking right before you left, Snart really has been listening to you, even while he has been uncooperative with Cisco and me."

"We didn't think much of it because he's always had some weird respect thing with you," Cisco chimed in and waved his hands to encompass the so-called 'weirdness'. "But it's not just being less of a dick to you."

"Snart kissing you just confirms it," Caitlin said.

"You think his greatest fear is being attracted to me?" Barry blurted out incredulously. He felt strangely offended, no wonder they both looked so uncomfortable.

"No," Caitlin said with a pinched expression. "When he was arguing that there was no problem with the two of you kissing, you said he told you that there was no problem because _you_ clearly wanted it and when you asked him why he kissed you at all, he focused on whether or not you wanted him to."

There was a sinking feeling in the pit of Barry's stomach as he began to see what they were implying.

"And before, Cold kissed you after you confessed to feeling alone and missing Patty," Cisco added.

"He's deferring to you, Barry," Caitlin said. "His actions since the beginning have been rooted in what you told him to do and what he thinks you want."

Barry felt cold. "That can't be right, I would have…" He trailed off as he replayed all his interactions with Snart since this began, how every time Snart tried to leave, Barry stopped him while Caitlin and Cisco had no luck and how every time he had asked for Snart to give them space to talk alone, the other man had without question.

Even just now, he had told Snart to wait for them to confer alone in the medical bay and he _had_ without a snarky comment or complaint or even an attempt to eavesdrop. Barry spun around to look at where Snart still waited patiently for them to finished. Snart's blue eyes were completely watched him with complete focus, and he perked up slightly when he noticed Barry staring back.

Barry looked away quickly and focused his attention on Cisco and Caitlin. Both of his friends stared at him sympathetically, which just made Barry feel worse.

"That can't possibly be true," Barry said without any sense of conviction.

"Well, there's one way to test it for sure, dude," Cisco said.

* * *

Len waited patiently in the medical room for Barry to finish his heated conversation with Cisco and Caitlin. Every now and then, one or all of them would shoot a glance his way making the topic of conversation painfully obvious.

Len wanted to storm out of the room and mock their pathetic inability as a vigilante team to be secretive, but something held him still. Finally, after a boring several minutes, Barry and the others made their way towards Len.

Barry's pale face was all Len could see. He approached him warily with his hands raised as if he were trying to show that he was not a threat, like Len was a rabid dog.

"What is it?" Len's voice remained steady even as his heartbeat picked up. Something was wrong; he could feel it in his bones and yet had no idea what it was, like scattered puzzle pieces in his mind that Len could not fathom how they connected to form a picture.

Barry swallowed, his eyes darted towards Caitlin, and steeled himself for- something, Len was not sure yet.

"Snart," he said softly as though he did not want to spook him. "Sit down."

Len sat down thoughtlessly, all his attention was on the man in front of him who was looking like he swallowed a lemon.

"Give me your hand," Barry continued, outstretching his own to clasp the one Len reached out towards him.

Barry glared at his hand like it had personally offended him before meeting Len's eyes once more. He kneeled before Len's chair with those intense green eyes boring into him. Len knew that Cisco and Caitlin were in the room, but he could not have wrenched his gaze from Barry if it were a matter of life and death.

"Tell me a secret, something you would never want to tell me," Barry said.

"You make me want to be a better person," Len blurted out instantly. He blinked, why had he just admitted that? He would never even admit that to Lisa, even though he knew she was aware of his soft spot for the Flash.

Barry's grip tightened on his hand, a comforting pressure, but there was something so unbelievably sad his eyes now that Len felt the need to reach out to him and soothe his worries. Barry smiled in spite of it.

But now Len recoiled; he yanked his hand away and scrambled to put distance between Barry and himself, even as part of him ached as he did.

Something was wrong, he had known that something was wrong, could feel the niggling discomfort in the pit of his stomach and hear the rumbling warnings in the back of his mind like an approaching storm, but now it was all he could focus on. As if the image in his mind had sharpened, removing the blurred lines and allowing him to see in perfect clarity.

From the moment Barry had told him to stay after speaking with Jack Wren, it had been like ice trickling down his spine, Alexa all over again, but Len had ignored it anyway. He pushed the doubt to the back of his mind because all he wanted to focus on, all he _cared_ to focus on was-

Barry straightened up and threw an unsure glance behind him towards Cisco and Caitlin. When he faced forward once more, it was with an air of confidence that Len only ever saw from Barry Allen when he was in Flash-mode.

"Snart, it's going to be okay," Barry said.

The sad part was that part of him immediately latched onto that statement because it was _Barry_ who said it.

"You know what's wrong with me, what Molly did," Len stated calmly. He'd be damned if let himself show them how uncertain he felt.

Barry opened his mouth to answer, but Caitlin stepped up and placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"We've ascertained how she's influencing you, yes, but the underlying cause is still a mystery," Caitlin explained gently. "What fear this response is a reaction to impacts how your symptoms will continue to develop and how exactly your condition will exacerbate."

Len's hackles raised at once. They had no right to that knowledge, to his fears. Nothing about any of the three of them was particularly predatory, but Len felt like a specimen under a microscope. Nauseas roiled in his stomach and the room felt unbearably hot all of the sudden.

He had to leave.

Heedless to their pitying expressions or the way Caitlin Snow appeared to be gearing up for a full blown speech on the particulars of his condition, Len pivoted and made a beeline for the door.

Cries immediately erupted behind him, all three of them speaking over one another, but Len could still clearly hear Barry's voice among them desperately exclaiming, "Wait!"

Without a conscious thought, Len halted with all the abruptness of running into an invisible wall. _Fuck!_

He refused to turn around and face the others, though he wanted to, he _should._ They wanted him to, Barry wanted to, and it was what Len wanted as well- wasn't it?

Barry interrupted his the dizzying thoughts in his mind by appearing in front of Len with a worried expression twisting his face.

"Let me go," Len snarled before Barry could open his mouth. What if the other man said something and robbed Len of his will to move? Just thinking that Barry wanted him to stay was enough to cause enough internal conflict to make Len question every step he took towards the door.

"We're trying to help you," Barry said, eyes wide like he was begging Len to believe him. As if that mattered, Len was apparently inclined to believe anything he said nowadays.

Len clenched his fists at his side and tried to maintain his composure. "Don't care."

"Look, I know this is my fault," Barry said remorsefully. Len wanted to promise anything to assuage him of that guilt; he looked away instead. "I know that I involved you with Molly Wren and that the reason you're acting like… this is because Molly wanted to get to me and when she failed to, she tied your fears to me I guess. I'm _sorry_."

Len remembered Molly's words when she touched him, that his fears were going to destroy them _both_. Somehow without even getting ahold of the Scarlet Speedster, Molly Wren managed to tap into his massive hero complex anyway.

Len just scowled. "Save your useless apology, kid," he bit out as he sidestepped Barry and made to leave once more.

Barry flashed in front of him again. Every time he did that, it weakened Len's resolve to leave.

"Get outta my way," Len growled.

"Cold, stop!" Cisco called out. "We don't know what will happen if you leave. You will get worse, and we don't know how yet-"

Len glared at the engineer over his shoulder. It was easier to form his response without Barry staring at him with such a pleading expression. "Or maybe getting away from _Barry_ who is the source of my issues will solve everything."

When Len returned his gaze forward, Barry had adapted the look of someone who had been sucker punched, like Len's words had stolen the air out of his lungs. Len couldn't look at him without wanting to fall to his knees and do anything to make him feel better. The pit in Len's stomach grew.

Len steeled himself and took careful steps towards the exit. Each movement was harder than the last, and he made sure not to look in Barry's direction as he began the stilted walk away. Team Flash was silent behind him.

Before he could cross the threshold to leave, his body just stopped working. It was not like it refused to obey his commands so much as Len was seized with the desire to stay put, part of his mind warring with the side desperate for escape.

Len's mouth felt uncomfortably dry when he realized why. "Let me go," he croaked.

"Wha- I'm not stopping you," Barry replied.

He was though. "You said to stay until you figured everything out, that I _couldn't_ leave," Len ground out.

Len could hear Barry take a steadying breath behind him before the Flash quietly said, "You can leave."

As those words washed over him, Len felt like a pressure he had not been aware of had lifted from his shoulders. Len had the ridiculous urge to thank him, as if he were grateful to be given permission to leave.

And even with _permission_ , Len felt winded by the time he had stalked into the night. He kept going until he could no longer see STAR Labs, and even after that, he walked further and further with the pointless hope that he could leave the crushing weight on his chest behind him as well.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! Hope anyone who might be reading is glad to finally realize what's up with Len. We'll get a better understanding about the whyof it as well as to how it really affects him but that basics have been revealed! A couple people guessed vaguely, but I think it might surprise some of you. So surprised?
> 
> Thanks to everyone who reviewed, you guys made me very happy! :) Let me know what you thought of this chapter if you liked it!

**Author's Note:**

> That's chapter one, hope you enjoyed it whoever's still reading!
> 
> Let me know what you guys think and if there's any interest in me continuing. I've never written a DCTV fanfic before and am not sure I'm getting the voices/characters right. There are so many good Coldlfash authors but I wanted to try my hand and am not sure what the result really was...
> 
> Thanks again for reading!


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